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Veterans benefits legislation in danger of expiring

WASHINGTON — The fate of two veterans bills on the verge of becoming law depends on whether the House of Representatives returns for a post-Christmas legislative session to work on deficit reduction legislation.

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Veterans benefits legislation in danger of expiring

Rick Maze, Army Times
4:59 p.m. EST December 21, 2012

Uncertainty surrounding House votes on fiscal cliff legislation mean lawmakers may not get to this.

Marine veteran Nancy Molina, left, picks out a class for the next term at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York with the advice of Eric Glaudé, a counselor specializing in veterans affairs. One bill that deals with veterans' education is bottled up in the House and may expire before it can be voted on.(Photo: Brian Harkin for USA TODAY)

Story Highlights

Bills in consideration during 112th Congress do not hold over when 113th Congress takes over

Senate already passed the 2 veterans bills Tuesday

But House left town abruptly when the speaker found he didn't have enough votes to pass his 'Plan B'

WASHINGTON — The fate of two veterans bills that had been on the verge of becoming law depends on whether the House of Representatives returns for a post-Christmas legislative session to work on deficit reduction legislation.

That is far from certain.

The House abruptly left town Thursday after Republican leadership was unable to get enough votes to pass its latest proposal in the tug-of-war with the White House and Senate over economic policy. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Friday that whether the House returns depends on whether President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., can come up with a balanced deficit-reduction plan for the House to consider. Lawmakers may return Thursday.

If the House doesn't return, pending legislation — including the two veterans bills that the Senate passed Tuesday — would expire and would have a chance of becoming law only if reintroduced when the new session of Congress convenes Jan. 3.

House passage had been planned as part of a routine vote on noncontroversial bills, but no vote can happen unless the House is in legislative session.

Both measures include high priorities for veterans and veterans' organizations.

One, HR 4057, helps veterans use their GI Bill education benefits wisely by ensuring they get more information to help them pick a college. It also tries to prevent schools from recruiting student veterans aggressively solely because of their generous benefits, which are paid directly to the schools.

Ryan Gallucci of Veterans of Foreign Wars, the nation's largest organization for combat veterans, said the idea behind the measure is to "ensure student veterans are armed with the information to make sound educational choices."

The bill includes a long list of information about schools and benefits that the Veterans Affairs Department would have to make available to people interested in using their GI Bill benefits. It also bars schools from receiving any Veterans payments for tuition and fees if they pay recruiters commissions or bonuses for signing up students.

Gallucci said the bill reinforces a presidential executive order issued last year that requires some of the same information, and it also builds on an expansion of transition assistance classes for separating service members that offers more information on how to pick the best college.

"If VA gets it wrong, Congress can call them in and tell them to do it over," he said, noting Congress has used its oversight powers to expand other benefits, such as help for veterans' caregivers and the redesign of transition assistance.

The second bill, S 3202, is a collection of other veterans legislation. Some of what it covers:

— Establishing a registry of veterans exposed to toxic fumes and chemicals from open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

— Setting up transition-assistance classes off base for veterans and spouses

— And making several changes in burial benefits and procedures.

Both measures were supposed to be added to what the House calls its "suspension calendar," a pile of bills that circumvent legislative procedures.

Most bills passed this way are approved with a voice vote. If a recorded vote is required, a two-thirds' majority is required for passage.

Unless the House meets in legislative session, lawmakers will have to start again to try for passage in the new year.

In 2013, the 113th Congress is scheduled to be sworn in Jan. 3, and the new House will convene at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 17 after the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.